The Michigan Daily - Monday, September 11, 1995 - 9A
'Ilusions'
Clive Barker's latest
Prashant Tamaskar
aiy Arts Writer
One of the most frustrating ex-
eriences for a movie viewer is when
film with a fairly intriguing con-
ept is ruined by an over ambitious
lot; consequently, the movie strays
00 far from its interesting original
idea.
Such is the case with Clive
Barker's "Lord of Illusions," the
latest movie directed by and based
"Lord of Illusions"
is one of the
better horror
movies of the last
few years. Then
again, that isn't
saying very much.
on the works of the best-selling
horror author.
The film begins with the murder
of a cult leader/magician named
Nix, who is betrayed by his appren-
tice Swann. Thirteen years later we
see that Swann has earned great
success and fame as a master illu-
sionist. Swann's wife, however,
senses that something is wrong with
her performer husband and hires
I
can't disguise a film
horror film won't keep you up at night
comings.
And this is not the only problem
with the film. Although there are a
Lord of Illusions few wonderful scenes throughout
the movie, these are overshadowed
Writen and directed by numerous sequences that are hard
by Clive Barker to take seriously. Most of these in-
with Scott Bakula volve cults and supernatural illu-
At Showcase Moreover, the film tries to feign
a love triangle between Swann, his
wife, and D'Amour. This idiotic
private detective Harry D'Amour ploy is both insulting to the viewer
(Scott Bakula) to figure out what is and detracting from the rest of the
troubling him. But Swann inconve- story.
niently dies when attempting to per- Although acting is not a large
form what he deems his most spec- part of most horror films, the per-
tacular feat ever. formances in this movie are notice-
D'Amour then searches for the ably poor. This is most evident in
person responsible for Swann's the lack of chemistry between any
death and proceeds to discover a of the three main characters in-
shocking truth: Swann faked his volved in the romantic affair.
own death in an attempt to hide With the exception of Scott
from a resurrected Nix. Bakula, none of the cast members
From there, D'Amour concerns are well known actors, and they
himself with trying to protect the certainly won't improve their sta-
illusionist and his wife from Nix tus based on this work.
and his loyal subjects. Unfortunately for Bakula, better
The concept of a magician dis- suited for television, he will now
guising himself by faking his own have to live with the knowledge
death is somewhat promising. that "Necessary Roughness" is not
The most obvious question one the worst movie in which he has
might ask, however, is that if the ever acted.
darkly powerful Nix can be resur- To its credit, and despite its many
rected from his grave, why wouldn't troubles, "Lord of Illusions" is re-
he be able to figure out that Swann ally one of the better horror films to
did not really die? This discrepancy be made in the last few years. Then
is one of "Illusions"'s major short- again, that isn't saying very much.
that fails to engage
HI. I'm Scott Bakula. Why can't I do a quantum leap out of this awful movie?
Sonos Handbell En-
somble
Sonos Handbell Ensemble
Well-Tempered Productidns
A tradition going back to medi-
eval times, the art of handbell ring-
ing has expanded greatly since its
introduction to America at the turn
of the century.
An excellent example is that of
the Sonos Handbell Ensemble. Com-
posed of I 1 members, the ensemble
handles 62 bells covering a range
over five octaves.
The works on this album are very
diverse. The handbells produce a
mystical, enchanting feeling which
is evident in each piece. Yet, this
same connecting thread works
against some of the songs.
"Hava Nageela" and "Joshua Fit
the Battle of Jericho" are two pieces
that would have sounded better with
deeper tones and some bass. Though
both arrangements are put together
well, there is a missing element that
can be found in other dreamier pieces.
By intermixing sounds and tech-
niques, the ensemble creates songs
such as "Leyenda" and "Shenandoah"
which are beautiful, mysterious and
haunting.
In "Greensleeves," the Ensemble
is joined by the flute and the violin to
create variations and harmonies in
the simple melody of the piece.
An arrangement of Aram
Khachaturian's "Sabre Dance" has
a touch of lightness and freedom
which comes directly from the bells.
As a dedication to the memory of
Katsumi Kodama-the late Japanese
director who brought handbell per-
formance to a new level - the En-
semble plays "Aka Tonbo," a Japa-
nese folk melody.
In this song, the tones are flowing,
yet melancholy, and fade away in the
end. As an honorable tribute, the work
is a fitting end-piece.
From the first clocks to performances
world-wide, handbells have endured
through the centuries.
As demonstrated by the success of
Sonos Handbell Ensemble, the music
produced by the multiple bells is some-
thing that can not easily be dismissed
nor forgotten.
-Sangita Baxi
See RECORDS page 10
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